The Cellar

Best bloody Mary in town but as some other people have said on here they could practice some better customer service. The lady bartender there is kinda rude.

I love the Bloody Marys at this place! You can taste the pepper, and the garnish is like a little snack!
They have a pool table, and a nice little outside area in the back.

The bartenders know how to make classic cocktails (ie old fashioned, tom collins) without asking what’s in them. Compared to other bars, that is a lot to ask for. This is the grad/​law student bar in Carbondale, but beware, the hipsters are starting to move in.

Just a dive that has some good drinks. Similar to PK’s, but a little less intimidating if you ask me. Just a bar, booths, high top tables, a few pool tables, and a shuffle board table all in a basement. A handful of TV’s usually showing the Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, and Saluki’s. A handful of good beers on tap. Some Goose Island and Bells. Not to mention the Bloody Mary. Nothing more, just a good place to have a beer that, depending on the day, you can get away from the riffraff of the strip.

Nice location at the north end of the Carbondale strip. Find a parking spot next to the railroad tracks and walk down the stairs to the entrance where you’ll be greeted by someone wanting to check your ID.
There are a couple pool tables, and a covered area outside for smokers. The ladies bathroom is cramped and small — just fits one person, so this can create a line.
Drinks are cheap.

This is your typical hole-​in-​the-​wall bar. Seriously, because we had trouble finding it. It is in the corner of that old train station.
There are pool tables, shuffle board, and darts. This place was at half capacity when I went. Maybe because the students were still on summer break. We were able to find a table for 8 very quickly.
Drinks are dirt cheap for my standards. Three shots were under 12 dollars. I’m used to one shot being like 8 dollars alone.

I was in Carbondale for my sister in law’s graduation from SIU. This place was highly recommended for their Bloody Marys. It’s a cool little spot and I really liked the place, but I had a serious problem with the service. I understand checking ID’s, but when there are 20 people in there and you are buying your third drink try not to card me for the third time.
The 2 star rating is warranted by what happened when I purchased their bloody mary mix. I went up to the same bartender that had already ID’ed me twice and asked if I could buy a jug of their mix, as it says that they sell it. She goes in the back to «check to see if they had any». Upon returning with a jug, she asks the owner or manager if it’s OK to sell to me. He gives her the green light and she comes back to lecture me that next time I need to give them at least 24 hours heads up. Excuse me? #1 I’m from Chicago and I had never heard of this place until an hour ago and #2 our group had just spent a good amount of money at your establishment. If it’s a problem don’t sell it to me, but please do not lecture me. After handing me the jug she asks for my ID again (isn’t the mix non-​alcoholic?). I give it to her and pay, but boy was I frustrated.
It really was a pretty cool spot, but they should have a little better customer service.

The cellar tends to consistently draw an older crowd with more locals and graduate students than most other bars on US 51. Drinks tend to be good, but not overwhelming. The drink specials tend to be a month to month thing, so there really aren’t ever any good deals. It is something of a hipster joint.

This is a little bar hidden to the right a couple blocks down the road from the strip. If you drove by it, you’d never know it was there unless you had been there before. This place is a little bar in a basement with pool tables, arcade games, a jukebox, a couple tvs and what is widely considered the best Bloody Mary in town (though I can’t vouch for that). The bartenders are pretty good here. The crowd is a mixture of about every kind of crowd possible. It’s a low-​key place to hang out and have a drink and a chat. The prices are reasonable, and if you can find the place, give it a shot if you’re up for avoiding the craziness elsewhere.